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Add your voice to our letter calling on our political leaders to take action on Land Clearing!

Dear Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk

Since laws, policies and enforcement processes were substantially weakened in 2012 and 2013, Queensland’s land clearing rates have risen dramatically to levels not seen for more than a decade. Clearing is out of control again in Queensland.

Clearing has a major impact on native wildlife and threatened species which depend on woodlands for habitat. Clearing is also bad for the Great Barrier Reef, waterways, and the climate. State land clearing legislation, planning legislation, enforcement policies and monitoring processes all need to be strengthened and used to achieve a new level of protection from clearing threats.

I welcomed the introduction of the Vegetation Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 into Parliament. Now that the Parliamentary Committee examining the Bill has completed its Inquiry, we look forward to our land clearing laws being strengthened as a matter of urgency.

While I support the main thrust of the Bill, I also believe it needs to be improved before being passed. I fully endorse:

protecting high value regrowing woodlands, re-protecting many woodlands deregulated by Newman, but with a widened definition of ‘high conservation value’ regrowth;

scrapping the self-assessed code for thinning, and tighter rules for 'managing thickened vegetation';

extending Great Barrier Reef riparian protections to all reef catchments; and

phasing out existing Area Management Plans which have allowed for regional clearing.

I urge you and your government to ensure these provisions are passed, but I would also like to see:

removing the capacity to manage thickened vegetation under development application processes;

terminating all existing Area Management Plans now; and

greater restrictions on fodder harvesting, including smaller limits on volume and a drought declaration trigger.

The government must also make sure additional protection for koalas, other threatened species and their habitats is achieved.

I recognise the Vegetation Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 represents an important milestone in Queensland’s land clearing law reform. While the Bill alone will not fully address Queensland’s land clearing crisis, it is a significant step forward and I believe it will make a big difference.

Over time, Queensland needs to ensure its land clearing laws bring down clearing rates, and deliver permanent protection for all old-growth native woodlands and forests, and permanent protection of all other high conservation value native woodlands and forests in the state.

It is time for much stronger land clearing laws in Queensland. Please make sure this happens to help protect our native woodlands, and native wildlife.